Who I Am - Lightning99

Chapter 38:

Mallow's Trial

Ash stayed up late that evening, kept up by his excitement for Mallow's trial; about an hour earlier he confirmed with her that it would take place tomorrow at noon. Of course, having experienced the caffeine-like effect of excitement countless times throughout his journey, Ash knew how to handle it: by training, by exhausting himself until his muscles felt that pleasant ache and his eyelids were heavier than his determination to keep them open. Sparring with Infernape, Heracross, and Hawlucha, and training his newer Pokémon against Noivern and Talonflame did the job.

Training on the Poké-Center's field imposed the obstacle of keeping quiet so as not to wake those sleeping inside, but Ash managed a decent session. He only hoped Torracat and Infernape's glowing flames didn't cause anyone to stir as the sun did in the morning if it won its tussle with the curtains.

Ash finished the session battling with Pikachu, his reason being his lingering curiosity. His battle with Gladion was still vivid in his mind, the aches he felt afterwards memorised by his muscles. It felt so similar to Greninja, so Ash wanted to figure out just what he and Pikachu were experiencing.

Throughout his training session with Pikachu, though, Ash couldn't manifest that feeling again. But that had happened with Greninja, too. Without a tense situation to spur it on, the Bond Phenomenon did not initially manifest on command. It seemed to be the same case here. Nonetheless, as he headed to his room when he finished, keen for the events the next morning, Ash did feel some physical consequence, tiredness that shouldn't have been his own.

"Are you excited, Ash?" Lillie asked on their way to Lush Jungle an hour after lunch, alongside whom was Dawn, Clemont, and Hau, the only ones that were not otherwise occupied.

"Of course!" Ash announced, bouncing on his toes as if he were about to break into a sprint. "I can't wait to see what Mallow's got for me!"

"I'm interested in how Mallow's trial will compare to Lana and Kiawe's. Each trial is like a glance into their personalities, and a jungle seems like an amazing setting for Mallow's trial," Clemont stated.

"It does. Mallow has been looking forward to this, so I'm sure it will be amazing," Dawn said. She shared a glance with Lillie, some invisible understanding passing between them. Ash frowned but said nothing. His excitement overshadowed whatever curiosity he had.

The group reached the periphery of Lush Jungle about ten minutes later. They would have arrived earlier had Brock not bounded out from the Aether Foundation station to wish him luck when they passed by. Strangely, Lillie had kept close behind Ash the entire time they lingered around the building. He had given her a curious glance, but Lillie had replied with a bashful smile and, once again, he said nothing.

Mallow met them outside the Trial site pillars as every other captain had done.

"Hi, everyone!" Mallow greeted in her chipper voice. The group returned a round of greetings to her. She smiled at everyone, then looked straight at Ash. "Alright, Ash. Are you ready to start?"

"Ready whenever," Ash replied, that fervour of sheer excitement he experienced with every challenge performing a Flame Burst in his chest.

"Great! Everyone, please wait here. I will come and get you shortly. For now, Ash, follow me please!" Mallow said. She twirled around and skipped beyond the trial posts. Giving his friends a wave and a confident grin after they wished him luck, and after Pikachu leapt from his shoulder to join them because he decided to have him sit out, Ash followed her into the jungle.

The moment Ash exited the wooden tunnel leading into the jungle, it was as if the beautiful day clouded over. The colour of the world seemed to darken, and the flora was a deeper green there than the rest of the island. A mysterious serenity fought an eerie gloom in the jungle's shade, and yet the patches of sunlight, the faint buzzing of bugs, and the countless dissonant yet still dulcet Pokémon cries whispering from the shadows instilled in Ash a surprising calm. The somewhat sultry air, though, without the breeze of the ocean-side cliff, felt thick on his skin.

The further into the jungle Ash walked, the more he picked up on the pleasant blend of aromas wafting through the air. It was like one perpetual Sweet Scent, of berries, flowers, and some undiscernible scents too.

Ash made sure to gauge his surroundings as he approached Mallow, who waited at a crossroad a little ahead of him.

"Ash, welcome to Lush Jungle, the grounds for the Grass-Type Trial!" Mallow said when he reached her. "My trial is a little bit different from Lana and Kiawe's. Rather than simply reach a specific location, I would like you to collect some ingredients for me. We are going to create a meal for the Pokémon of the Jungle, and if you get the right ingredients, the jungle will reward you."

That, Ash immediately thought, was the most Mallow sounding trial he could have been assigned.

"I need you to get me some Oran, Cherri, Pecha, Lum, and Mago Berries – two of each should do – as well as some Honey, and a Big Root. When you think you have found the ingredients, place them in this Forage Bag so not to mix them up or lose them," Mallow said, handing him a large yellow pouch tied with some string. Thanking her, Ash shouldered off his backpack and tied the pouch to it. He looked back to Mallow.

"Finally, because not everyone knows the intricate distinctions between berries and the like, here is a note riddling the berries to you should you need it, and a table of the ingredients you need to get," Mallow said, handing over two small sheets of card. Ash pocketed the riddles, deciding only to use it in dire need. He trusted his experience enough to recognise most of the items. Plus, he knew Brock would be disappointed in him if he consulted it too much. "Do you understand?"

"Yep, got it," Ash answered firmly, already scanning the ingredients.

"Alright! For this trial, you may use up to four Pokémon, and when you have gathered all of your ingredients, please bring them to the deepest part of the jungle. I shall see you soon. Let the trial begin!" Mallow announced. Ash nodded to her in thanks as she retreated the way they had entered. He sent out Torracat, an obvious choice for the trial because of his type and strong nose, and after detailing their task to him, started searching for the first ingredient: Oran Berries.

There were few distinct paths through the jungle – rather, most it seemed as natural as it had grown, save for a few slanted or fallen trees. Given the floor of long grass that covered nearly all of the jungle and the slightly impairing nature of the dim light, Ash ventured into the long grass to better see the different berries. Torracat wandered on his own, sniffing at the air wherever he went.

It did not take Ash too long to find the Oran Berries. A little way into the jungle, along a path left of the entrance, there stood two bushes in a circle of long grass, little blue berries hanging from the branches. Ash approached carefully, placing a hand on Torracat's back to stop him rushing in because of some nearby Fomantis. Strangely, because both looked ripe and healthy, they crowded around only one of the bushes.

Ash approached the vacant bush. He picked two Oran Berries easily and moved to place it in his pouch only for Torracat to growl and swipe at his hand, knocking the berries onto the floor.

"Torracat? What's up?" Ash asked. Torracat approached the bush, sniffing relentlessly. Curious, Ash picked another berry from the tree and brought it closer to his eye.

It looked like a perfectly normal Oran Berry. Ash had eaten Oran Berries before, so he tossed it into his mouth to test it. However, the moment he bit into it he imagined his face contorted into something that would horrify a child. He spat the rest of the berry out for it was more disgusting than some of the cooking he had previously attempted. He quickly deduced that must be a bush full of the false Oran Berries Brock had once told him about. Oren Berries, if he recalled correctly.

As Ash just stood there, coughing in disgust, he was nearly impaled by a flurry of sharp leaves hurdling at him and Torracat. Luckily, Ash realised the danger just in time. He dive-rolled to the side to avoid it, thankful for his impeccable reaction speed. It appeared the Fomantis noticed him during his realisation. Quick as an Aegislash's Stance Change, Ash switched to battle mode.

Ash instructed Torracat to advance quickly and make the group scatter by using Ember consecutively. His plan worked, and Ember even nicked some of the Fomantis along the way. The Fomantis' dodging landed them in a semi-circle around Torracat.

At once, the Fomantis unleashed a collective Razor Leaf. Ash, noting Torracat's position, shouted for him to jump forwards and prepare a Fire Fang for the Fomantis ahead of him. The leaves he evaded crossed the semi-circle, forcing the Fomantis to inflict friendly fire instead. While they were recovering, Torracat landed his Fire Fang on a Fomantis, then flung his victim at another unassuming one. He finished the pair off quickly with a Fury Slash flurry. Confident, Ash had him charge Fire Fang again, and Torracat bounded back in.

Shortly, Torracat finished off the last Fomantis, sustaining only a few scratches from the battle. Ash pocketed the Oran Berries after testing one, moving on.

Ash knew what Cherri Berries looked like, so find them was easy enough. The bush they grew on rested in a dead-end hidden by trees to the right. A small group of Bounsweet surrounded the bush. That fight, however, was simpler than the Fomantis. Soon enough, Ash pocketed the Cherri Berries and moved to Pecha Berries.

The first bit of trouble Ash ran into was with the Lum Berries. He couldn't remember what they looked like, so he consulted Mallow's riddles. The one for the Lum Berries said:

They resemble a Swadloon's wrap and hide where the jungle sleeps during the day.

Mallow's Swadloon comparison was enough to yank an image of a Lum Berry to the forefront of his mind. Taking the hint, Ash searched for the darkest corner of the jungle. He found them in the darkness but ran into his second problem: some Morelull, as Rotom announced.

Ash had thought sniping from afar again would work, but they planted their roots via Ingrain, and with their Moonlight – even though it was not as effective during the daytime – they kept healing. So, he told Torracat to run in; the Morelull responded with a plume of Sleep Power and some Confuse Rays.

For a while, they were at a stalemate. Ash tried several strategies – leaping off trees, forcing friendly fire again – but not a lot worked. It took Torracat a little while of manoeuvring, of dashing in and retreating rapidly, coaxing their moves, but he finally broke the ranks and safely landed a Fire Fang on one of the Morelull. It fainted immediately, so Ash deduced they were more Special oriented. He told Torracat to take out as many as he could before the inevitable Confuse Rays hit. Torracat defeated another three before he was hit. It took him a lot of prancing around, missing, and taking unnecessary damage before he finished off the pack.

Ash let Torracat be while he recovered from confusion. He sent out Rockruff instead when he spotted a small flock of Combee swaying with the wind. Remembering that he needed Honey, Ash changed course and followed them. They led him directly to a small glade, in which the sweetness in the air was tangible to his tongue. Thankfully, the Vespiquen Ash assumed would be present was not in the glade, so sneakily gathering some honey in the jar Mallow provided in the Forage Bag was relatively easy. He did, however, have to fight off some Combee. Rockruff's Rock Throw and Thunder Fang worked wonders.

Ash met back up with a sound-of-mind Torracat, returned Rockruff, and headed for the Mago berries. He found the bush of the nearly crescent-shaped berries on the right side of the jungle and stashed them. All that remained was the Big Root.

Deciding that searching every tree for the root he was looking for would be much too tedious, Ash consulted the riddles. This one, along with a picture of the specific type of root Mallow wanted, said:

The Big Root rests at the foot of the walking trees acting like statues.

Ash pondered the riddle only for a short moment because it didn't take him long to realise Mallow was talking about some Sudowoodo. After all, Brock had one. He had seen how Sudowoodo stilled like a statue when it slept, or even as a pastime. He was proved correct when, after climbing a hill, Ash discovered a group of Sudowoodo standing in an open area.

Keeping light-footed and crouched, Ash crept between the Sudowoodo, eyeing the roots at their feet. There were some look-a-like trees, but he found the desired root at the feet of a definite Sudowoodo. Ash took unravelled the root slowly until he could move it away and safely stow it in his pouch. He retreated when he was done, puffing out his held breath.

Ash thought he had gotten away with it until he looked up. It turned out the Sudowoodo was not as asleep as it had pretended because Ash came eye-to-eye with Sudowoodo's plastic grin. He froze, then a split second later, Ash was leaping backwards and Torracat was skidding along the ground after being hit by Rock Throw.

"Torracat, stay back!" Ash called, switching him out for Rockruff and Bagon instead.

Assessing the situation, Ash counted six Sudowoodo; two of the seemingly eight were real trees.

"Rockruff, keep the one furthest to the right in place with Thunder Fang, and Bagon follow up with Dragon Breath!" As they got to work, Ash spotted the other Sudowoodo all preparing a barrage of Rock Throw. "Torracat, interrupt them with Fury Swipes!"

They acted in perfect harmony, and Bagon then independently used Headbutt on the Sudowoodo, knocking it to the ground. With one down and the barrage ended, Ash commanded the trio to focus on one Sudowoodo with their respective moves: Fire Fang, Headbutt, and Bite. The triple-threat floored the second Sudowoodo easily, however, their tunnel-vision attack left them vulnerable to the rest, who grouped up and all used Flail.

"Bagon, Dragon Breath in a wide circle!" Ash called. Thankfully, Bagon listened through his evident rage. The royal blue, purple blended flames scattered the Sudowoodo. With four left, Ash told each of his team to take one.

Ash bounced between the battles. He told Rockruff to latch on with Bite and transition to Thunder Fang as Torracat evaded a Rock Throw; he told Torracat to counter with Fire Fang while Bagon endured a Low Kick to his sturdy head. It took intense concentration, but each of his team soon defeated one of the Sudowoodo, leaving the last one standing to face their triple-combo. It fell quickly, and Ash safely stashed the Big Root in his Forage Bag.

Before heading to the depths of the jungle, Ash gave his team a moment's rest since they sustained some minor hits. In the pause, Ash pondered whether to distribute the Oran Berries he had collected and return to retrieve some more but decided against it in the end, prompted by the look of disgust Bagon wore when he suggested it.

When he confirmed that his team was ready, Ash headed toward the depth of the jungle. It was a straight path through the overgrowth from the entrance, though he had to manoeuvre over thick tree roots jutting out of the earth and some fallen logs.

The depth of the jungle was one almost circular glade. The trees enclosing it looked the oldest Ash had seen yet; the brown bark was faded nearly to grey and moss and exceptionally long grass covered the area. Several vines hung from and were draped over the tree branches, all of which seemed to connect like some wooden web. The canopy that had covered the entire jungle broke here, allowing one magical beam of light to shine on the centre, in which stood one of two unnatural objects: a large golden pot, the other being the Z-Crystal pedestal. Mallow stood beside the pot, and so Ash approached her, Torracat, Rockruff, and Bagon at his heels.

"Hi, Ash!" Mallow greeted cheerfully, giving him a wave. "Have you collected all of the ingredients?"

"Yep," Ash answered, shouldering off his backpack and unravelling the Forage Bag. He handed the bag to Mallow. She scanned his collection.

"Excellent! It's time to make my Mallow Special!" Mallow said, dumping the contents into the bowl. "Now, stand back please," Mallow said, taking hold of what looked like a Cubone's Club. She began mashing the contents in the pot. After they were sufficiently crushed, she added water and began stirring. Gradually, Ash could feel the tingle of a pleasant aroma on his nose. It increased over time, but so did another feeling: a piercing gaze on his back. When the aroma was so potent it was almost visible, Ash felt a strange tension. He watched as Mallow released the club and retreated to beside the Z-Crystal pedestal on the edge of the glade.

When a large cry screamed from behind him and a shadow fell over his head, Ash knew the Totem had arrived. It landed in front of him, it's pink body larger, its eyes redder, and its scythe-arms sharper than he knew they should be. Listening carefully as Rotom introduced it as Lurantis from his backpack, Ash prepared his mind, watching as its Totem Aura flared –it started moving faster – and its ally arrived.

It was a Castform, and the moment it used Sunny Day, Ash anticipated the Solar Beam that Totem Lurantis immediately charged. Or he thought he did because the moment Lurantis unleashed the move – which he had his team dodge in a way calculated to counterattack – he realised it was not Solar Beam at all. The green beam of light did not fade away, nor was it even a beam. It was a blade attached to Lurantis' arm, and it swung it like a sword, striking both Bagon and Rockruff with a mobility Solar Beam did not have. A few trees were even damaged because of the move.

When the move's green glare faded – Rotom called it Solar Blade from his bag, a fitting name Ash thought – Ash noticed that Rockruff was unconscious on the floor. The Totem had one-shot him, and Bagon was struggling to get up too. As he returned Rockruff, Ash realised Lurantis was strong, and he was lucky to have Torracat's Fire-Type moves.

"Bagon, run around to throw off Lurantis' aim! Torracat run at it!" Ash said, already formulating a plan as Lurantis charged another Solar Blade. Ash watched Torracat carefully. "Jump on its knee and catch Castform with Bite!" As Torracat did as was said, powering through Castform's attempt at a fire-type Weather Ball given the Sunny Day, and caught him, falling behind Lurantis, Ash turned to Bagon. "Bagon, use Headbutt on Castform!"

Thankfully, the next Solar Blade missed because both Torracat and Bagon were behind Lurantis, tussling with Castform. Torracat laid on a barrage of Fury Swipes while Bagon took pot-shots with Dragon Breath – he even threw a few Bites in there. Suffice to say, the Castform did not last long with the two of them attacking it so vigorously. Unfortunately, the next Solar Blade Lurantis used was too quick for Bagon to dodge, and for Torracat to completely dodge. Torracat went tumbling, and Bagon was knocked unconscious by the follow-up Petal Blizzard.

"Just you and me, Torracat," Ash said, returning Bagon. He flashed his Fire-Type an expression wider than a grin. "Alright, latch onto it with Fire Fang!" Torracat ran in, barely ducked beneath a quick X-Scissor, and snapped its jaw on Lurantis' leg. By the cry it gave when Torracat's flames hit, Ash guessed that the Lurantis' defence was not too formidable. All he had to do was avoid the attacks. Being clung to Lurantis was a decent place to be in that regard, so Ash instructed Torracat to climb Lurantis, using Fire Fang when he could.

Lurantis began swatting at Torracat – an ironic sight, really – but Ash kept telling Torracat to dodge and consecutively use Fire Fang. Lurantis' wild jerks were problematic though, so Ash thought quickly and had Torracat maintain Fury Swipes on his paws to better latch on when scaling the Totem's large body and inflict more damage when not attacking. Kind of like cleats for walking on ice. As a strategy, it worked very well in wearing down Lurantis. He even inflicted a lucky burn.

However, that progress was soon removed when Lurantis used Petal Blizzard around itself, knocking Torracat off, and then used Synthesis. Ash groaned but did not let it shake his momentum. "Run in using a flurry of Ember and keep up the Fire Fangs!"

It took a few minutes more of their cat-and-mouse game for Lurantis to throw Torracat away with Petal Blizzard this time, but enough damage had been done to satisfy Ash. This time, Lurantis did not use Synthesis. Instead, it prepared a Solar Blade. Ash expected the hit to be quick, but then he realised the Sunny Day effects had worn off. And that gave him just enough time to share a glance with Torracat and slam his hand onto his Z-Ring.

As always, Ash enacted the initial arm-movements for Z-Moves, then fell into the movements Kiawe taught him a few nights ago. He swung his arms upwards twice, like he was coaxing magma upwards, and finished by grabbing his right arm with his left and throwing it forwards, palm facing out.

"Inferno Overdrive!" Ash yelled. Torracat dug his paws in. From his jaw, Ash saw a giant ball of fire slowly building, charging in the same way Solar Blade was. With a determined yell, Torracat released the surprisingly gargantuan ball of flames at the same time Lurantis used Solar Blade. Lurantis swung Solar Blade down on the Z-Move, but it soon burnt up and the Z-Move struck its target.

As soon as the calamitous ball of flames engulfed Lurantis, Ash knew the battle was won. Retracting from the position his Z-Move dance had landed him in, he gripped his cap so as the gust did not send it spinning from his head and awaited the settling of the flames.

The large ball soon fizzled out of existence, unveiling a smouldering Lurantis sprawled on the glade floor, but that was not where Ash's eyes focused. He looked at the jungle, horrified. His Z-Move had set alight the nearby trees and flora. Inside the flames, several Grass-Type Pokémon were fleeing.

His guilt surged. Completely disregarding the trial, Ash dashed towards the nearest Pokémon, barely hearing his friends calling his name from somewhere he couldn't see as he recklessly dived through the fire.

Almost frantically, Ash picked up a slightly singed Bounsweet and tucked a Fomantis under his arm before leaping back through the flames, placing them in the safety of the glade. When he looked up to find the next Pokémon, he saw Dawn dousing the flames with Piplup, and his other friends, their, and his Pokémon shepherding the wild ones to safer areas. Even Lillie was trying her best to direct them from afar despite her fear, a sight that warmed Ash's heart. He heard his name again, but Ash caught sight of some trapped Paras and Grubbin. He headed back into the flames, determined to somehow aid the disaster he had caused.

Ash helped out several more Pokémon. He probably stayed in the midst a bit too long was the warm stinging of his skin and coughing any indication, but he did not care. He had to help the Pokémon.

Before heading back into the glade, Ash saw something dash between the trees amid a flock of fleeing Pikipek and Trumbeak. It was pink and fast, and when Ash arrived at the glade, he felt the shock of his friends' expressions, for Tapu Lele hovered above them. Her eyes were closed, her hands pressed together like a prayer. A mystical purple light grew between her black palms.

Emitting one loud cry, Tapu Lele opened her eyes and pushed her palms outwards, casting the light around the area. It pulsed like a ripple of water, and the moment it touched any of the flames or the scorched flora, they began glowing with the same light. A moment later, the flames vanished, and the flora sprouted back to full health as if never damaged.

Tapu Lele relinquished the move when the jungle had returned to its natural state. Ash watched, awed, as his shoulder lost their tension. His guilty worry vanished.

The strangest thing happened in the next moment. Tapu Lele looked at him straight in the eyes. Ash held the gaze, something unspeakable keeping his eyes on her. Several seconds passed, and then Tapu Lele turned and glided over the trees, a little trail of sparkles lingering behind.

After she vanished, Ash tried to think of why Tapu Lele had stared him down like that. It didn't make any sense. Tapu Koko had done the same thing the first time they had come face to face before he had given him his Z-Ring. Ash wondered if it meant something. The thought left him, though, when Lillie's voice awakened him from his stupor.

"Thank goodness Tapu Lele was around," Lillie said. His friends were together, all looking incredibly relieved.

"Yeah," Dawn agreed. "I don't think Piplup and I could have gotten rid of all that fire without her help."

"You did good, though, so don't sweat it. You were quick in there," Hau said.

"As were you, Ash," Lillie said, and all of the attention fell on him. "Running into the fire like that… It was very brave. Are you alright?"

"Ah, yeah, I'm all good, thanks," Ash said, dusting off little spots of black from his t-shirt. "How about you guys? I had no idea you were all hiding back there."

"Oh, we're fine," Clemont said. "We wanted to watch your trial without distracting you, so Mallow let us watch from the jungle."

"I see."

"Speaking of watching," Mallow added, watching the sky, "do you think Tapu Lele was watching your trial too, Ash? I don't think she would have been here to fix everything with Nature's Madness otherwise."

"Who knows," Ash said because he was wondering the same thing.

It took Mallow a moment, but she soon returned her attention to Ash. "Anyway. Congratulations on defeating the Totem, Ash! You've completed my trial, so you'd best go and grab that Z-Crystal over there," she said, pointing to the pedestal.

Ash did just that. With Torracat at his side looking proud after his incredible victory, Ash strode to the pedestal and claimed the Grassium Z.

After that, his friends congratulated him on another victory. They fell into some random conversation once he returned Torracat, which carried them back to the entrance.

Mallow had been pondering what to do about her feelings for Ash throughout the day. At first, she decided that, should he complete her trial, she would muster every molecule of confidence residing in her exuberant personality and tell him as she had originally decided. In theory, it was as simple as Grass beats Water in a Pokémon battle where she was the Grass-Type, and her worry was the Water-Type. She had an advantage over her doubts. But the moment Mallow saw Ash, whatever Water-Type her feelings had become secretly had Ice Beam. Add to that her thinking of Dawn's words about Ash's relationship life so far, and Mallow experienced a perpetual mental back-and-forth.

However, fate seemed to decide for her when she saw Ash sprint into the flames to save the wild Pokémon without hesitation. At that moment, her admiration for him tipped her towards confessing, and she settled on that answer. After all, following her feelings in the moment had been the best advice she had received.

So, as the group left Lush Jungle, Clemont confusing Hau with some scientific lingo and Ash and Lillie chatting about something she couldn't quite hear, Mallow paused at the exit, allowing everyone to pass. They each gave her a questioning look, but Dawn's eyes quickly conveyed realisation and so she practically shoved the boys out. Lillie, too, seemed to realise what was on Mallow's mind. She scurried out of the jungle as flustered, it seemed, as Mallow felt given the evident pink on Lillie's cheeks that showed a lot more clearly than Mallow's did through her tanned skin. Ash, however, didn't appear to get the message. She had to lay a hand on his shoulder to stop him walking straight past her. She instinctively flinched back when he faced her, his eyes loveably concerned.

"Hmm? Something wrong, Mallow?" Ash asked.

Mallow shook her head, managing only a murmur of dismissal. The thought of confessing had felt so right in her mind, and yet, suddenly it was as if her lips were sealed by a Mean Look, something that had never happened to her before. She was always the talkative one, the girl that forever had something to say to liven up a room. With her heart hammering so fast it made her somehow breathless and her stomach dancing itself into dizziness, she understood what it was like to have no words. And the worry in Ash's eyes, scanning her a little bit, only helped wither away her resolve. Mallow took a deep breath. She could not back out now.

"N-No, nothing's wrong. I – umm – I just want to say something…" Mallow began, unconsciously twirling one of her vine-like locks, very aware that her cheeks were flaming. The relief that replaced Ash's concern made it even harder again.

"Sure. What's up?" Ash asked. His obliviousness to her internal predicament frustrated her in some weird way.

"Umm… Well done on completing my trial," Mallow began. She nearly slammed her palm into her forehead for beginning in such a friendly way when she wanted more.

"Thanks! It was a really good trial. Having to find loads of items between fighting was… innovative. And having to recognise that there were some Oren Berries was a nice touch," Ash said.

"T-Thank you, Ash," Mallow said through a grin. She took another deep breath, readying herself – it left her lips in a tremble. "What I want to say is that… I-I think you're amazing, Ash," Mallow started, and suddenly, everything was easy, even if she rambled. "I really do. Your dedication to battling and training and how kind you are to everyone, and the way you try to help your friends and your Pokémon… I really admire that. It's one of the reasons I… I like you. I really like you, Ash. I have for a while, but I didn't know if I should say anything… and I just… I hope…" Mallow stopped. She wanted to say she hoped he felt the same, but a part of her thought saying that would instil some sense of duty in him to feel that way. She didn't want that.

Instead, she mentally took a step back, observing Ash. He looked stunned, shocked, even. Mallow wasn't surprised at his reaction. This had come out of nowhere, even if she thought she had been dropping subtle hints every so often. Although, Dawn had told her how dense Ash was, so him missing those hints wasn't a surprise to her either. The degree of his shock did unnerve her, though.

Slowly, all of the confidence Mallow had gathered in expressing herself was draining away. So, in a feat of pure reckless emotion, because she wanted to convey what she had left to say as succinctly as possible, Mallow leaned forwards and kissed Ash gently on the cheek. The contact set her heart on fire, and she would be lying if she said she didn't stretch it out longer than needed.

"Y-You don't have to respond or anything right away," Mallow said after she leaned back, her cheeks scorching now – she knew they were probably as red as Ash's. "I-I just wanted to let you know how I feel." And with that, Mallow's confidence fled. She offered Ash a shy smile then turned around, heading out of the jungle.

Because her nervousness bested her in the end, she didn't hear Ash's response if he had one. But Mallow was proud of herself. She had never confessed to anybody first before. It was an accomplishment, another great step forward for her, even if she thought she had failed in some way by not staying there. Even if she was worried about Ash's answer. But despite that, she had conveyed her feelings, and that was what she had wanted to do at that moment.

Ash remained rooted to that one spot in Lush Jungle for a long time, staring after Mallow's retreating form that seemed to linger in an afterimage. At first, he was just staring, his mind an incoherent mess. It was a few minutes before he tried to piece together what Mallow had said, tried to make some sort of sense of what just happened.

Mallow said she really liked him, a statement that forced an involuntary fuzziness to invade him. Given that she had wanted to be alone with him to confess such a thing, it only, really, meant one thing: the way she liked him was more than that of a friend. He was warmed by the possibility, and he instantly searched his heart to see if he held equivalent feelings.

But that was only Ash's initial thought because the moment he felt blessed, the second he naively searched his mind, he realised that Mallow feeling that for him was not possible. He realised it because a memory resurfaced, one that he unconsciously linked to everything that had just happened.

The time Serena had kissed him when she left Kalos.

The purpose of each kiss felt the same albeit they were different by nature. The way both Mallow and Serena had offered him a shy, red-cheeked smile after the kiss and before slowly leaving felt like different versions of the same event. He couldn't help comparing one to the other. And because of the connotations of Serena's kiss, and another memory resurfacing, the memory of Serena's voice that day at the ranch, he rationalised they meant the same thing she conveyed then:

"Ash, of course…n-not. It was just a kiss goodbye. That's all. It didn't mean anything."

His first kiss felt like it had been lost to Dialga now: on the one hand, Ash felt months had gone by but at the same time as if only a day had passed. Either way, the more Ash thought of it, the more his heart ached with the memory of how his hopes had been high, and how much damage the fall had done. But then, he reminded himself+ Serena had not truly meant that, that she was not in control of herself when she said it, and he felt confused again. For some reason, though, her words of dismissal resounded in his head rather than the latter argument until the idea of Mallow liking him more than a friend made him internally, weakly sigh for ever having such a wild idea.

So, by that belief, and as much as he somehow felt like a horrible person for it, Ash concluded Mallow's actions to be the same. There was no way Mallow liked him in that way. Not him of all people. The kiss on the cheek and her words were marks of how much she valued him. He decided that that was it, and though he lingered in the jungle to avoid a somewhat awkward confrontation, he never stopped smiling because she viewed him so highly. He tried to put the other, nagging thought out of his mind because the moment he considered that Mallow's words could mean something more, his heart trembled with fear and ached from the heartbreak of the last time he thought like that and had his heart destroyed because of it.

Hi.

Christmas and New Year are done, and I'm back with another upload! It's another long-un, but I hope you liked this chapter.

This was a difficult chapter to get right. Specifically, the ending. I'm not sure if I conveyed it as I wanted to, but I wanted to show that there are some lingering affects Ash is experiencing from the ordeal even if he doesn't realise it. But I didn't want to completely change his character, which is why I've made it subtle so far. For the first time, we get to see how Ash thinks about it. So I hope I've shown what I wanted to.

I probably don't say this enough, but thank you to everyone reading and following along with this story! It's great to see people taking an interest in it! I hope you're all doing well and keeping safe despite the situation we're in, too.

Oh, and if you're wondering, the little 'Who I Am - Lightning99' message at the top of each chapter is to fix the formatting issue I didn't even realise I had. Yeah. Sorry about that for anyone who gets as bothered by things like that as I do.

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!